Pablo Daniel Piatti is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Canadian club Toronto FC. He operates mainly as a left winger, but can also play as a forward. He spent the vast majority of his career in Spain after starting out at Estudiantes, appearing in 294 La Liga matches over 12 seasons and scoring a combined 48 goals forAlmería, Valencia and Espanyol. Piatti won one full cap for Argentina, in 2011.
Club career
Estudiantes
Born in Ucacha, Córdoba, Piatti was a product of Estudiantes de La Plata's youth ranks. He made the headlines when coach Diego Simeone gave him his first opportunity against Newell's Old Boys on 18 November 2006, as the player was just 17. He scored the winning goal deep into injury time, and became one of the heroes of Estudiantes' championship-winning team. Piatti made the side's starting eleven in the 2007Clausura tournament, alongside José Luis Calderón, José Sosa, and Juan Sebastián Verón.
Almería
After making 60 appearances in all competitions for Estudiantes in two years, Piatti was sold to UD Almería in Spain for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of €7 million. Initially an undisputed starter, notably netting in a 1–1 home draw against Real Madrid, he struggled after the arrival, midway through his first season, of Mexican coach Hugo Sánchez. In the 2009–10 campaign, without the presence of strikerÁlvaro Negredo, Piatti was much more depended upon in scoring matters and netted seven times in 35 matches, joint-second in the team as they finished in 13th position. On 23 September 2009 he opened and closed the scoresheet in a 2–2 draw at Atlético Madrid and, in the second La Liga match between the two teams, netted a last-minute winner.
Valencia
On 5 July 2011, Almería and Valencia CF reached an agreement for the transfer of Piatti, with the player signing a five-year contract for a fee of €7.5 million. He struggled to reproduce his previous form during most of his first season with the Che, but did feature in 47 matches all competitions comprised. Piatti scored his first official goal for Valencia on 19 January 2012, netting the 3–1 in the 45th minute of an eventual 4–1 home win against Levante UD in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. He added another two in the second leg. After Jordi Alba and Jérémy Mathieu developed an efficient left-wing partnership, Piatti was used inconsistenly by managers Mauricio Pellegrino, Ernesto Valverde and Miroslav Đukić, also struggling with some injury problems. After being transferlisted against his will by the latter in the summer of 2013, he was subsequently linked to clubs like Everton, Celtic, Southampton and Stade Rennais FC, but refused to leave Spain. After the dismissal of Đukić due to poor results, however, new boss Juan Antonio Pizzi showed faith in his compatriot Piatti, who repaid the former's confidence by finishing 2013–14 with five league goals from 17 appearances, one of those coming in a 3–2 win at FC Barcelona. Following the purchase of the club by businessman Peter Lim, Piatti continued being a key player under Nuno Espírito Santo, being dubbed Pablito by the manager.
Shortly after making his senior debut for Estudiantes, Piatti was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. The youngest player in the roster, he managed to play six of seven games. On 5 June 2011, Piatti made his debut for the senior side, as national team boss Sergio Batista handed him a start in a 1–2 friendly loss with Poland.
Style of play
A talented, skilful and diminutive player with an eye for goal, Piatti is capable of contributing to his team's offensive play by both scoring and assisting goals; moreover, he can shoot with either foot, despite being naturally left–footed. Normally a winger, he is also able to play as a forward, but he has even been deployed in a deeper, more creative role, behind the main striker. He usually plays on the left side of the pitch, although he can also play on the right flank. A dynamic, explosive and fleet–footed attacker, he is known for his turn of pace, which along with his dribbling technique enables him to get past opponents and make runs into the penalty area. Regarded as a promising player in his youth, his playing style was initially likened to that of compatriot Lionel Messi.
